Eshkol, Levi

Levi Eshkol, original name Levi Shkolnik, (born Oct. 25, 1895, Oratov, near Kiev, Ukraine, Russian Empire—died Feb. 26, 1969, Jerusalem), prime minister of Israel from 1963 until his death.

Eshkol became involved in the Zionist movement while a student in Vilna, Lith. He moved to Palestine in 1914 when it was under Ottoman rule, working there in a number of settlements. He fought as a member of the Jewish Legion on the side of the British forces against the Ottomans. At the end of his service in 1920, Eshkol helped found Deganya Bet, one of the first kibbutzim (collective settlements) in Palestine. Thereafter he worked untiringly for the future Israeli state. He was one of the founders of Histadrut (General Federation of Labour) and was instrumental during World War II in the movement of people and goods from Germany to Palestine.

After the State of Israel was established in 1948, Eshkol held several government positions, including that of minister of finance (1952–63). When in 1963 David Ben-Gurion announced his retirement as prime minister, Eshkol succeeded him. Two years later Ben-Gurion again sought the leadership, but Eshkol easily won the election.

The major event of Eshkol’s governance was the Six-Day War (June 1967) against Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. With the help of such individuals as Golda Meir, Eshkol also unified Israel’s three major labour parties into the Israel Labour Party.